Will an e-mail and/or video/video link get you noticed?

Like a lot of things, it depends on the preferences of the recipient. Some are willing to look at them, some are not. I guess there's no harm in sending them, in hopes they'll be seen. Worst case scenario is they end up in the trash, no harm done. Since most people now can copy DVD's off their computers at minimal cost, it's worth a try.

The problem with videos is that they only show highlights. Pitchers aren't shown dealing with tough innings, only their K's and weak outs. Hitters show they can crush a meatball, but who knows if that is indicative of overall ability, or just the few hard hits they got all season?

I think videos work best for pitchers, since a coach can at least see body type, delivery style and mechanics. Some initial evaluation can actually occur. With good filming technique you might be able to get someone to view a breakdown of your swing. Other skills I doubt a video would really be very enlightening.

I personally am skeptical of any scholarship offer based on a video

Keep in mind that SU is a Division III school thus there are no baseball scholarships--a video in this case can interest a coach enough to ask to player to come to that school----BUT the player still has to shine in the fall tryouts to make the team

quote:

The problem with videos is that they only show highlights. Pitchers aren't shown dealing with tough innings, only their K's and weak outs. Hitters show they can crush a meatball, but who knows if that is indicative of overall ability, or just the few hard hits they got all season?

It is a big mistake to cherry pick the videos to only show high lights. Edit out the waste video only. Our video showed several complete outings with the good and bad. It generated several offers and some requests to camps.
Our video was accompanied with a cover sheet describing each video, grades and a colored photo.

quote:

... e-mail and video/video links is a GREAT way to introduce yourself to any college of your choice! Just do it!

I agree, it absolutely works. GUN had an unsolicited opportunity to play in the 2009 Junior Olympic tournament, from a video. As far as highlights, we do not edit video. They get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.

GED10DaD

We utilize video a lot. College coaches and scouts also utilize video. There are over 1,000 college coaches who have logged on to watch video at BBWTV in the past year.

BBWTV also has Major League Scouting Departments who actually purchase the right to see all the video we have.

The only problem I see is that most of the video that college coaches and scouts look at is of the players they are aware of or interested in. So I don't think that unsolicited video has anywhere near the impact of requested video.

One thing that I feel is most important if the video is not requested is that the video be live game, unedited and against the best possible competition.

A dad sent us a video of his JUCO son pitching against a good JC team. Curve ball strike out... fastball strike out... all pitches were strikes or hitters chasing... no balls were hit except for one groundball back to the pitcher. We checked the game results on the school's website. Something like 3 innings pitched 9 hits, 4 walks, 7 runs. We didn't see any of that.

This competition becomes very important when a pitcher is not a higher velocity guy. Then if he is making recognized good hitters look bad, it means much more. Also helps to see a hitter facing a recognized good pitcher.

Another suggestion... once the video is complete, have someone who really knows the game watch it and tell you if it is likely to help. We get lots of video and to be honest, some of it only reveals that the player lacks the necessary ability to play at a very high level. It would make no sense to send this to those at the higher levels. Guess it's true that it won't actually hurt anything, though.

Just sending a video out of the clear blue, could help, but I wouldn't count on it much at the DI level. DI College coaches get thousands of these. In most cases they need much more than video. Sometimes video is used more as a confirmation of sorts. If a recruiting coordinator or other assistant likes a player a lot, but head coach hasn't seen that player. Presto, the video provides a glimpse of the player to the head coach.

All of that said, there are some who have succeeded doing this. So it has worked out for some.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
I think videos work best for pitchers, since a coach can at least see body type, delivery style and mechanics. Some initial evaluation can actually occur. With good filming technique you might be able to get someone to view a breakdown of your swing. Other skills I doubt a video would really be very enlightening.

I think you're right. Coaches don't care what happened in the bottom of the ninth of the championship game. They're looking for the things you described- build, swing, arm, delivery. They wanna see you run, too. A 60 on a football field doesn't lie. Have the player introduce himself at the beginning. That's all you need. Make your videos short and sweet. Three or four minutes. Fill out the recruiting questionaire and add your link. If they like what they see, they'll follow up.

I am amazed that people always want to set limits.
College coaches are just like everyone. They want to get the best players they can find. PG is right. You show the videos against the best competition you can. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to play top players. Many of them ex pros, current college and ex college players. We used no HS video since it was irrelevant.
We also referenced players that were currently in college or pro BB. An example was Pensacola JC. There were 2 Canadians who were playing for them and both were drafted. I believe it was coach Martin and he asked us to come and workout for him. He did say he never made an offer off a video. There were others that responded with personal calls to me that also invited us to workout or attend a camp.
We had several offers just off the videos. Yes the video has to be against great competition. If you lay the game videos out so a coach can get a quick feel for what he is seeing he will watch all of it.
Our goal was to get an offer without showcasing and without attending camps.

quote:

Coaches don't care what happened in the bottom of the ninth of the championship game. They're looking for the things you described- build, swing, arm, delivery.

I talked to a pretty darn good DI pitching coach and head coach last month.
What they wanted to see was what "happened in the bottom of the ninth of the championship game." They wanted to see how that pitcher reacted, his heart, his intensity, his drive, his leadership and his desire to win. They wanted to see a player with the game on the line..a big highly competitive game and situation.
They can offer scholarships to a 1000 guys if those features of a player are unknown. When they look and find the intangibles, the number of pitchers and players of interest to them is reduced dramatically.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
I personally am skeptical of any scholarship offer based on a video

Keep in mind that SU is a Division III school thus there are no baseball scholarships--a video in this case can interest a coach enough to ask to player to come to that school----BUT the player still has to shine in the fall tryouts to make the team

Who said anything about scholarships?

This is about getting interests and/or more in-depth look by schools.

Full-blown scholarships are few and far between, are they not?

quote:

Originally posted by infielddad:

I talked to a pretty darn good DI pitching coach and head coach last month.
What they wanted to see was what "happened in the bottom of the ninth of the championship game." They wanted to see how that pitcher reacted, his heart, his intensity, his drive, his leadership and his desire to win. They wanted to see a player with the game on the line..a big highly competitive game and situation.

And I've talked to many D1 coaches who've said they have very little time for unsolicited videos. I'll stand by 'short and sweet'. As I said, if they're interested, they'll follow up.

I know for a fact at Shenandoah University, videos get reviewed. It would not be wise not to review such information that is being given to a respective university. It's FREE for them to review as all they need to do is just pop it in or click on a link and presto, you are reviewing a recruit that has interests in your respective school.

Good gracious, not sure why a college coach would not review it? Look what SU found in Matt Davis, just think if that coaching staff would of tossed that in the trash, Matt Davis would of never been at SU nor played in the D3 World Series last spring.

Something to think about folks.

Picture below is of Matt Davis who closed out and saved the game in the Reg'l Championship against John Hopkins. Scott Lambert is the catcher.

Coach Milburn, I'm not saying they don't watch them. They do. I'm saying they usually won't watch entire half-hour productions unless something in the beginning catches their eyes.

quote:

Posted by Coach Milburn:
"I will say this, videos will get YOU a more in-depth look, example ... SU's (LHP) Matt Davis (Syracuse, NY) sent the coaching staff a video and we were all like, this kid is pretty darn good." [emphasis added by SPD]

Coach Milburn -- I'm puzzled. As I read your original post launching this thread, it jumped out at me that you used the pronoun "we" when discussing the Coaching Staff at Shenandoah University reviewing videos. But when I look at the SU Baseball web site, I did not see you listed as a Coach.

Shenandoah University Baseball Coaches Page

I don't mean to be confrontational, I am just trying to sort things out. I have read many postings from you lately offering different alternatives for players to get noticed by colleges. I'm curious as to how much your thoughts are shaped by how things are done at SU, versus a more broad sampling of schools.

As we speak to current collegiate coaches, former collegiate coaches, highly experienced showcase team & HS coaches, and parents of players who have successfully navigated the trail ahead of us; we are learning that there are many different ways for players to find a path to collegiate baseball.

Everyone -- Please sanity check me on this ...

The picture I am getting is that the most important thing is to understand what any given Collegiate Coach is looking for out of a prospective player, and how he likes to meet and assess prospects.

The PLAYER (with his family) needs to determine the schools that best fit him, where he may have a baseball opportunity. Then, the player needs to contact the Coach to express his interest in the program, and ask what is the best way for him to become a legitimate prospect for that Coach.

We recently spoke with the Pitching Coach at one of my son's top dream schools, and he said (paraphrasing) -- if you send him a video, he wants to see 3 or 4 pitches from the front, and 3 or 4 from the side; that's it. He said he cannot sit through another 15 minute production overdubbed with "Eye of the Tiger".

The Coach at another school on the list told us that he doesn't really care about videos; he wants to see you live, against known competition (ie: WWB at East Cobb or Jupiter). If he likes what he sees there, he'd want you to come to a camp, where they can get to know you a little.

It keeps coming back to me that this is a basic Sales 101 problem. The Coach is the customer. Not every customer wants the same thing. Not every customer buys the same way. Not every product is alike.

The key is to identify the customers you want to focus on; determine their prefered method of buying; determine how you can best package and present your product (Player); then package and present your Player in the way that makes your Player the most appealing to each of them.

Am I getting close?

quote:

Originally posted by southpaw_dad:

quote:

Posted by Coach Milburn:
"I will say this, videos will get YOU a more in-depth look, example ... SU's (LHP) Matt Davis (Syracuse, NY) sent the coaching staff a video and we were all like, this kid is pretty darn good." [emphasis added by SPD]

Coach Milburn -- I'm puzzled. As I read your original post launching this thread, it jumped out at me that you used the pronoun "we" when discussing the Coaching Staff at Shenandoah University reviewing videos. But when I look at the SU Baseball web site, I did not see you listed as a Coach.

Shenandoah University Baseball Coaches Page

I don't mean to be confrontational, I am just trying to sort things out. I have read many postings from you lately offering different alternatives for players to get noticed by colleges. I'm curious as to how much your thoughts are shaped by how things are done at SU, versus a more broad sampling of schools.

As we speak to current collegiate coaches, former collegiate coaches, highly experienced showcase team & HS coaches, and parents of players who have successfully navigated the trail ahead of us; we are learning that there are many different ways for players to find a path to collegiate baseball.

Everyone -- Please sanity check me on this ...

The picture I am getting is that the most important thing is to understand what any given Collegiate Coach is looking for out of a prospective player, and how he likes to meet and assess prospects.

The PLAYER (with his family) needs to determine the schools that best fit him, where he may have a baseball opportunity. Then, the player needs to contact the Coach to express his interest in the program, and ask what is the best way for him to become a legitimate prospect for that Coach.

We recently spoke with the Pitching Coach at one of my son's top dream schools, and he said (paraphrasing) -- if you send him a video, he wants to see 3 or 4 pitches from the front, and 3 or 4 from the side; that's it. He said he cannot sit through another 15 minute production overdubbed with "Eye of the Tiger".

The Coach at another school on the list told us that he doesn't really care about videos; he wants to see you live, against known competition (ie: WWB at East Cobb or Jupiter). If he likes what he sees there, he'd want you to come to a camp, where they can get to know you a little.

It keeps coming back to me that this is a basic Sales 101 problem. The Coach is the customer. Not every customer wants the same thing. Not every customer buys the same way. Not every product is alike.

The key is to identify the customers you want to focus on; determine their prefered method of buying; determine how you can best package and present your product (Player); then package and present your Player in the way that makes your Player the most appealing to each of them.

Am I getting close?

Back in 2005, yes I was an assistant coach at SU when Matt Davis sent his video to SU.

Yes, I was out helping Coach Renegar with the recruitment of student/athletes as I continue to do as I always refer names of players that I see when I attend games.

Yes, I have even referred kids from NVA to my college contact list which is over 110+ schools.

What else do you want to know DAD?

"southpaw_dad"

Nothing confrontational, but I have a few questions for you:

- Where did you play HS baseball?

- Where did you play college baseball?

- Why have you moved your son from school to school to school? Notre Dame Academy / Paul VI and now Briar Woods but you live in Loudoun Valley's district ... how does that work?

- All of the jumping from school to school, how can that be a good thing?

Many Thanks and Very Respectfully,
Coach Milburn

Milburn - Out of curiosity I'd like to know why it's relevant where a father played ball or if he did. He's a father that's currently going through the recruiting process with his son and decided to share some experiences that he and his son have gone through.

I understand why he asked you if you were still a coach, as you said "we". There wasn't an ulterior motive behind it other than to clarify IMO.

quote:

They do. I'm saying they usually won't watch entire half-hour productions unless something in the beginning catches their eyes.

That is the secret of a good marketing effort.

I can't understand why you would attack Coach M for stating his opinion. There are several great threads on this topic.

quote:

Originally posted by Mid-Atlantic Mustangs:
Milburn - Out of curiosity I'd like to know why it's relevant where a father played ball or if he did. He's a father that's currently going through the recruiting process with his son and decided to share some experiences that he and his son have gone through.

I understand why he asked you if you were still a coach, as you said "we". There wasn't an ulterior motive behind it other than to clarify IMO.

Mr. Ross, since he questioned my background, I wanted to get some background on him. Out of curiosity, why are you even chiming in on this Steven? What's your association with "southpaw_dad"?

For the record, Loudoun Valley HS program is a solid program, not sure why anyone would not want to be part of it?

BobbleheadDoll, I didn't attack him. I agree with him. Why would someone make a video and not send it out? Send them to as many schools as you can. I say a few minutes long is enough. If others want to send Ben Hur versions, that's their choice.

Vic D I wasn't necessarily referring to you.
Our video had hours of game footage. All described in a point form cover sheet that mentioned length of time, level of competition etc. Where possible I referenced players who played pro or college ball. I had coaches tell me they watched and enjoyed every minute of the DVD. Our #1 choice of school had an assistant coach named Chuck Hazard who did all the video evaluations. He called us and said my son was a grade A recruit. We were then recruited heavily after that. Chuck left and went to Pepperdine. The coordinator took over but ended up taking a JC instead of my son. I learned a lot about the recruiting process from my conversations with Chuck and the coordinator. I learned a lot about the verbiage used by college recruiters. Much of this has been discussed on this board over the years.
A well done video will get results. Pick out 25-50 colleges at different divisions and send DVDs, emails with pictures in bedded as opposed to attached, and follow up with phone calls.
I talked to a lot of coaches over the years and they are looking for good players. You just have to convince a few your guy is one they need.

quote:

Mr. Ross, since he questioned my background, I wanted to get some background on him. Out of curiosity, why are you even chiming in on this Steven? What's your association with "southpaw_dad"?

It's always nice of you to show me the proper respect by calling me Mr. Ross. I do appreciate that. Southpaw_dad is a friend of mine and someone that has started to help out with our program. You seem to know so much about him anyway. Such as where his kid goes to school the past couple of years.

It's funny, when certain people disagree w/you or ask questions you're fine. Lately it seems that when others ask you questions you get ****ed off. What gives on that one? He asked a legitimate question and I was merely chiming in. You may not like the fact that I chimed in, but this is a discussion board. Not a one sided posting area.

Does video work in getting a player noticed? It did for my son recently.

I sent a two minute Youtube link to a top D2 program that had never seen him play. My son quickly got an invitation to visit and try out. When we met with the head coach I just asked him why he was being so gracious with his time for a player he had never seen play. His answer was simple, "I saw his video and liked his swing."

The coach was honest and said he gets tons of videos unsolicited, but it was clear that someone on his staff looks at them. It was the hitting coach who first saw my son's video and told the head coach he needed to come watch it.

They won't offer him until they see him play this spring, but he wouldn't even be on their radar without the video.

You son is going to make some college coach very happy. He is going to produce big time at the college level. And I predict by his JR year he will be producing big time power numbers.

Regarding the editing of videos...and this pertains to my son's search for the right DIII school, so may not have been as helpful for DI programs.

We made a video of our RHP son. We had been advised by a couple of college coaches not to do a big production or spend a lot of money - just get a short video of him throwing from a couple of angles: from the side, as mentioned by another poster, and from behind if it was a bullpen situation (like the angle you see on a MLB broadcast). This was easy and cheap, as I shot it myself. And so that coaches would not think we were editing to show the best pitches, I set up the camera and just let it roll for 30 pitches - fastballs, curves, changeups. (This was for the view from behind - for the side view we did include some live game footage- but very brief.)

I believe the DVD's helped a lot. The school where my son ended up never even saw him live, although they talked to a coach or coaches at a camp where my son pitched and that they attended, but did not see the game he pitched in. They also had the radar readings from that camp, so I'm sure that helped as well.

I could be mistaken, of course, but I think having the confidence to show the session unedited would be viewed positively by prospective coaches. I'd be curious to know, however, how this type of video would be viewed by a bigger program.

Some coaches like them and some don't. I think one of the best things you can do is make a short video like casey75 has done. Then contact the colleges that you're interested in, send them your stats, talk to the coaches etc. This way when someone on the staff asks for a video, you have it and can send it right away!

There is editing and there is editing. You edit the waste not the actual pitching. Watching the pitcher tog at his jock is waste.
U Miami invited my son to a camp after the un solicited video. They called and were impressed with the video.
Our video cost next to nothing. It was a collection of games over 2 years. I set the camera on a tripod where I could and started and stopped it after each inning he pitched. I made sure I had several angles and that it was up close. I wasn't trying to capture the game but focused on mechanics and ball movement.
I had at least 8 hours of condensed video. Each video was numbered and described. A coach could load the video and pick what he wanted based on the length and level of competition. There were short videos and there were some long ones. The videos were stored in their own folders. One for DVD and another for CD (smaller amount of video). These were edited as I say for not wasting footage and coach's time) If they wanted they could look at a short one and then watch more if they had the time and interest. I might have spent $150 including all cost like disks and postage. I put them in a disk envelope along with a cover sheet and sent them out to about 25-30 colleges. Had great response and large BB scholarship as well as max academic money.
My son's fast ball was only 82 mph. So you can attend showcases and get lost in the crowd. I figured it was better to target the colleges and be proactive. The showcases would have meant travel, time off work not to mention the fees.
When you are trying to get a large scholarship without traveling and spending a lot of time and money, you had better show them lots of stuff and quickly.
.

Sounds like a good approach that worked out well for you, Bobblehead.

Bottom-line, from my perspective, players can market themselves to hopefully get the attention that will draw more of an in-depth look.

For an introduction, an e-mail with complete bio along with video clip is an outstanding and very inexpensive way to get your name into someone's in-box.

Coach M -

For Gun, it's a jumping off point. Is it going to get him a D1 scolly at a major baseball factory or 6-10th round slot money?? Uhhhhhhhh - no. But, that was not our expectation either. I'm happy if it gets enough interest for a visit or the HC/RC comes to a game.

It is what it is. GED10DaD

What are coaches more likely to watch? A DVD sent to them in the mail or link to say, a video posted on YouTube in an email? Curious what the opinions or experiences are...just my opinion...seems like coaches MIGHT be inclined to watch a video posted online via a link in an email...kind of like impulse items at the checkout counter...they open the email, read it and before they know it, they click the link and viola! they are there with the video cued and ready to play in front of them...the DVD takes more active participation perhaps...actually open the DVD, go to the player, play it, etc...I know this may sound mundane, but if there's something that can get you a slight edge to be seen...

Both work very well. I used DVD for a couple reasons. It allowed a great number of videos and it was a physical reminder.
I had a coach from a D1 JC who had been to the D1 JC WS 4 years in a row. He was a pitching guy who traveled all over the US and Canada lecturing. I sent him a DVD and had to follow up several times. He was always on the road. He kept saying he had it right beside him on his desk. After a couple months he called and made us an offer.
Another D1 coach took the DVD home and spent the evening watching all 8 hours. He asked for more during his up coming season.
Trying to guess at what works best is fine but the important thing is to build a body of game video over the last couple seasons. Use the links or DVD they both work. A few years ago we had some great feedback from people who used both. Even if it wasn't well done it still has a chance to work. A few things to keep in mind . Don't cherry pick and don't use Rocky type music. Also remember you are not shooting a home video. Get up close to the player and show his stuff. The coaches like real game footage but at the same time want to focus on the player and not the game.

This is a factual story with regard to what video can do and how I used it---had a Southern school coach who called me about a player of ours---had interest in him and was going to be in our area in a few weeks--could I send him 2 or 3 minutes of video so he can judge whether he thinks it is worth coming to see the player or not---did just that for the coach--he liked what he saw and came buy and offered--

For me a video is just to pique the interest of the coach--nothing more, nothing less--they want to see the player in action to make a true and final judgement---by the way I made the video myself---hitting--throwing and running--that was it

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Corner Dad:
Does video work in getting a player noticed? It did for my son recently.

I sent a two minute Youtube link to a top D2 program that had never seen him play. My son quickly got an invitation to visit and try out. When we met with the head coach I just asked him why he was being so gracious with his time for a player he had never seen play. His answer was simple, "I saw his video and liked his swing."

The coach was honest and said he gets tons of videos unsolicited, but it was clear that someone on his staff looks at them. It was the hitting coach who first saw my son's video and told the head coach he needed to come watch it.

They won't offer him until they see him play this spring, but he wouldn't even be on their radar without the video.

Good Deal!

Here is my two cents worth of opinion. I'm good friends with a guy who was a DI coach a few years ago. We were talking about how to get noticed and I asked about video they get randomly. He said the first thing they did was throw it straight into the trash. Never looked at it.

Some people on here and elsewhere throughout the country have sent in unsolicited video and it's helped. Offers of scholarships have been made and offers of walk on spots have been made. Some of the guys turned out to be studs and some have turned out to be duds. Pretty much the same with coaches who don't want / watch the video - they miss out on studs and not wasting time on duds.

So what is the course of action to take? Well here is the two cents worth of opinion starts happening. If you are just fishing and send out feelers everywhere to try and get noticed then by all means do it. Probably best / easiest / cheapest way to get name out there. Showcases, camps, PG events and things like that cost a ton of money compared to mass made videos. It falls under the "you never know what happens" philosophy.

If you are trying to target a specific school to go to and play baseball then the video should be ONE of the many things you do to get their attention. Go to their camps, find out which showcases they will attend and talk to them. See if they want video or not and if they do then send it.

There is only two surefire ways to recruited - have the skills and be seen by the coaches. The first is totally up to you and the good Lord. The second happens in a myriad ways so don't just limit yourself to one way.

"Will an e-mail and/or video/video link get you noticed?"

I'll be the first to say that you don't send video to get a scholarship offer. You send video in order to motivate a college coach to come see you in person. That is the goal. Video should be sent with a letter of interest as well as a schedule so they know where to find you if they like what they see on film.

Coaches WANT players that want to play for them.

I love the new "showcase" tournament format that is currently the standard during the summer and fall. Players get to play against top competition, on top fields, and in front of college coaches. Just playing at these events does not guarantee you will be seen. There will be 300 other kids that are just as good, fast, strong, smart, etc. How do you get noticed? I recommend to my athletes to contact coaches before they go to the showcase in order to tell the coach how to find them....

"My name is...., I play for ....., we will be playing on field 2 at 3pm, and I'll be hitting 2nd in the lineup and wearing jersey # 7. Here is a copy of my video so that you can see my swing before you come."

If they dont read your email or watch your video you are no worse off then you were if you didnt send it. BUT if they see it, they will be more likely to zero in on you. Do you hustle on and off the field, do you respect your parents, coaches, umpires, teammates, etc. What does your pregame prep look like? Who cares if you go 0-3, what did your at bats look like? Did you show your a$$ if things didnt go your way? Are you a leader? Etc...

The idea that "if you are good enough you'll be found" is naive. UVa has 4 coaches to cover the entire nation! Congrats if UVa is looking at your son. Does Texas, Arizona St, or UCLA know who you are? The Yankee's (or any pro team) have 1000's of scouts. Most colleges have between 2 and 5 coaches. They need as much help as possible.

The videos that I create for baseball players are all "skill videos" and typically do not show game film. This allows coaches to see players body, athleticism, arm speed, bat speed, footwork, etc. They can break down the kid and see mechanics from multiple angles in a VERY short video. Let me know if you'd like to see examples of my athletes videos.

Last part of my rambling! Remember that these kids are going to COLLEGE. Dont get so caught up in the D1, 2, 3 thing. There is more money available for high academics then there is for your ability to hit or pitch. I have worked with more than a few kids that have received over $100,000 in academic or merit based scholarship from D1 and D3 programs. Trust me when I tell you that their parents do not care in the least that their son is not getting a "baseball" scholarship!

Be Proactive, Be Persistent, Be Personal. Would you do nothing if you were looking for a job? Why would you want your child to do nothing in the search of where they will be getting an education that will lead them into adulthood?

Rich Prado

Play In School
College Recruiting Videos
804.852.8468
www.playinschool.com (click on the "alumni" link to see some of the athletes I've worked with)

quote:

I'll be the first to say that you don't send video to get a scholarship offer. You send video in order to motivate a college coach to come see you in person. That is the goal. Video should be sent with a letter of interest as well as a schedule so they know where to find you if they like what they see on film.

Let me be the first to say I'm glad I didn't listen to that advice.

Bobble - After re-reading your earlier post, it sounds like your son was made an offer off a video. That is fantastic. I've had athletes that were also made offers off video alone with never being seen in person.....BUT for most kids (about 98% of the kids I've worked with) the coaches will need to see them in person. And they may want to see them multiple times.

The recruiting process is not an exact science. Each kid is unique and each situation is too.

When discussing the recruiting process with a well respected coach in the area, he put it well....."Throw enough "stuff" against the wall and something will stick." There is rarely 1 thing that seals the deal. It is usually the combination of many different things. The key is that they kid is proactive and out there performing!

quote:

Originally posted by Coach Milburn:
I will say this, videos will get YOU a more in-depth look, example ... SU's (LHP) Matt Davis (Syracuse, NY) sent the coaching staff a video and we were all like, this kid is pretty darn good.

Did SU see him play? No way ... he was up in near Syracuse, NY and look what he did at SU.

So does video/video links work? You bet, BUT its up to the college to review it.

Again, MATT DAVIS from SU was discovered thru a video that he sent to Shenandoah University.

To close, e-mail and video/video links is a GREAT way to introduce yourself to any college of your choice! Just do it!

Respectfully shared,
Coach Milburn

Reference what I stated at the beginning of the thread as I have NEVER stated it would get you a scholarship but chances are greater that it would get you a more in-depth look.

I have an e-mail list of nearly 110 schools ranging from JUCO to D1 as I share information on prospects from time to time.

I've had many coaches tell me ... Coach Milburn, please keep sharing the information.

Personally if a college offered one of my players a deal on the basis of a video alone I would be very skeptical---Don't they want to meet the player and his family? Don't they want to see him in action in person? how does he interact with his team mates? How does he act on the field and in the dugout?

Incidently Milburn you are a long list of coaches who get that request